Enhanced tumorigenesis in HTLV-1 tax-transgenic mice deficient in interferon-gamma

The oncoprotein Tax of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-1) is the major mediator of viral pathogenesis in infected individuals. Expression of Tax under the regulation of the human granzyme B promoter in mice results in a lymphoproliferative disorder resembling adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL). Tax expression is associated with the production of high levels interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) in HTLV-1-infected CD4(+) cells and Tax-transgenic tumors. We examined the role of IFN-gamma in tumorigenesis, by mating Tax-transgenic mice with a gene-specific knockout for IFN-gamma. IFN-gamma(-/-) Tax(+)-transgenic mice show accelerated tumor onset (median, 4 versus 6 months), dissemination (median, 5 versus 7 months), and death (median, 7 versus 10 months), compared with IFN-gamma(+/-) or IFN-gamma(+/+) Tax(+) mice. Pathologic and immunophenotypic characteristics of tumors from all genotypes are indistinguishable, except for enhanced interleukin 2 receptor-beta (IL-2Rbeta) and suppressed intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression on tumors from IFN-gamma(-/-) Tax(+) transgenic mice. IFN-gamma(-/-) tumors demonstrate enhanced CD31 (platelet-endothelial CAM-1 [PECAM-1]) staining compared with those from IFN-gamma(+/-) or IFN-gamma(+/+) Tax(+) mice. Angiogenesis-specific cDNA microarray analysis identified 4 mediators of angiogenic growth differentially expressed in tumors from Tax(+)IFN-gamma(-/-) mice compared with Tax(+)IFN-gamma(+/+) littermates. As confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), loss of IFN-gamma results in down-regulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and tissue inhibitor of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) while up-regulating expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tenascin C. These results provide insight into a possible mechanism by which IFN-gamma contributes to host resistance against HTLV-induced tumors through an angiostatic effect.